Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-10-05
MECHANICAL MATTERS.


GERMAN SILVER is Lrass TO which nickel
has been added TO whiten it. 1t is used in
immense quantities as the material on
which silver is plated for silvcr-plated ware.
MoLDs for rubber stamps are made Of
plaster Of Paris. The rubber is pressed into
the mold with small press, and is then
placed in vulcanizing oven heated TO about
sI5 degrees.
AMAL0ANS arc soft alloys which mercury
forms with other metals. Tin arnalgam is
used in siivcring mirrors; cadmium ANAL
gam in filing teeth; zinc and tin ANAL
gam as rubbers Of electrical machines.
ALL sorts Of vessels, culinary and other
wise, including pals, tubs, basins, water
coolers, spittoons, as well a3 various other
articles. arc now manufactured in one piece
from wool pulp, under the name of indu-
rated fiber ware, and arc called indcstrVe-
tiblc.
Is selecting sand for manufacturing glass
darkish sand is found, containing moro
foreign substance than the 90 per cent
silica. which inferior grade goes into green
or black bottles, and still darker and
baser Garth. which is used for sanding fire.
brick moulds; another and finer dark grade,
which IS used by cruciblc steel manufac-
turers; and still another quality, tho whitest
and gritticst, which becomes "flint," or
absolutely transparent glass. An inferior
quality OF white sand is used for prcscrip-
ton bottles. but the worry best is for tho
higher grade Of flint ware.
Iron workers have in many cases a de-
sire TO avoid tho callouscd condition of their
hands, brought on by their work As O
preventive take the average water pail,
twelve quarts, iii with soft water five
hours before quitting time, noon and night:
add two ounces OF borax; IL hard water, in
| addition TO the boraN two ounces of snl-soda
Iaihcr the hands we'll with brown soap, and
then NIL tho hands with white or any fine
sand and wash thoroughly in the borax
water Tor five minutes Sr more. beginning
before the hands have become horny, once q
day (at night, with one-fourth the chem
icalS, tho smiths hands can always be kept
in good, pliaOlc condition and joint cracks
avoided
ONE Of tho most recent improvements in
the manufacture Of puddled iron and steel.
introduced in some of the English FORCES,
consists in subjccting tho molten metal.
while III the pudding furnace, to the action
oil Diait OF air, these processes. by means
OF special construction of the furnace, be-
ing carried on simultaneously. In place of
the tuycres commonly used for conveying
tue blast to the molten metal, one Or more
holes in the front, back. or sides of the fur
mace perform this function. Under this ar
rangcmcnt, and rs soon rs the metal begins
10 sink TO the bed, the blast is shut OF. and
the iron or steel is made into balls and con-
vcycd 10 hammers or sqpcczers, as the case
| requires Tho system involves simply the
simultaneous refining and pudding of mol
ten metal by submitting the latter to the
action Of a blast OF air in a pudding fur
mace, method which, for directncss and
economy, Is claimed to possess superior ad-
vantagcs.
SoNE very careful trials of the relative
advantages of hand and machine cut files
have been made in Sheffield, England. the
workmcn and forcmcn who had the carry
ing out OF the operation not being permitted
TO know by what process the files they used
were cut. Twelve la-inch bastard safe
edge files were forged ard hardened out of
the same material by the firm making tho
experiment OF these, six were cut by
hand ON the premises and six sent out to be
cut by the best machines available. In every
trial the machinc-madc files proved them
selves superior TO tho handmade. Much
more work, determined by the weight of FL
ings produced, was performed by the ma
rhinc-cut than the hand-cut, and in every
instance after tho hand-cut was pronounced
worn out the machincrut competitor was
, declared TO be moderately good. Acting on
the issue OF these tests, the firm by whom
IL was conducted has since cut the bulk Of
: its files by machinery.